From February 14-29, I’m hosting a small compilation of some old poems. It’s called blip, and you can download it for free by clicking the front cover below.

Most of what I want to say is in the poems or the blurb. But, since you’re here, I’ll write a little about what this is and why it’s here.

Mostly, these poems were written in two batches, 2011-12 and 2013-14. Dates are approximate, because I’m not really keen to drag all that up. Also, it doesn’t really matter, as I’ve mixed them up to form a narrative. Most of these poems have been edited at least a little for publication here, but they are largely as drafted at those times. So for me, this pdf is as much of a historical document as an artistic project. (I know this is all a little pretentious, but for poetry, this is the shallow end of pretentiousness.)

The thing with these being written what seem so long ago, for me, is that I’ve gotten better as a poet since then, and the person I was when I wrote these was in a very different place than I am now, happily. Also, I’ve stopped thinking about poetry as something I do for myself and friends, but as something worth showing anyone with interest in it.

For all these reasons, this set of poems is something I need to move forward from, but I feel bound to respect the version of me that put so much into them. I looked into print publication, but decided it isn’t appropriate for this project right now, for a variety of often tedious reasons. So, it’s up here as a limited digital edition. A stupid concept, I know, because digital information can be shared infinitely, but I’m only hosting it here from Valentine’s Day to Bonus Leap Year Day 2016. It’s available, then it isn’t, and that is how it should be. If you’re reading this blog post after I’ve pulled it down, tough.

For everyone else, you can download the pdf here. It’s screen-readable, but formatted for A5 if you need to print it out. I’m asking politely that you don’t sell it on, but mainly because I have to, not because I think I’m in danger of it happening, or that I could do much about it if you did. Be cool, though.

If you like it, or don’t, or have questions, or just like posting on the Internet, comment below. If you really like it, tell your friends. If this is your first time on this blog, you can sign up to the newsletter on the right hand side there, follow updates using RSS, or just follow me on Twitter @jamesdavidward, where this blog autoposts amongst my nonsense.

Otherwise, I hope blip brings you something, and we’ll talk more about poetry later, I’m sure. Thanks for reading, and take care out there.